A poem from Mali's spoken-word collection Icarus Airlines. Taylor's first live spoken-word collection since 2003, Icarus Airlines, contains 34 poems, including "The Miracle Workers", "Holding Your Position", "The Mascot of Monterrey", "Best Conversation on Race", "The Apologia of Hephaestus", "Practice Pheasant", "Depression, Too, Is a Kind of Fire", "The New Ash on the Roof of Our Building", "My Mother's Gardening Journal", "Remarkable Man", "I Am Loving You", "Your Eyes Are My Only Limitless Now", "Another Preposition Entirely", "The Lanyard" (by Billy Collins), "They Don't Make Loaves of Bread That Big", "Pizza", "When Does the Human Heart Rest?", "Bodhisattva", "Reading Allowed", "On Girls Lending Pens", "Nightfall", "For Health and Strength", "Salvation Army", "The Trusting Time", "Eight-Hour Spanish Bus Ride", "Entire Act of Sorrow", "Healing Orange", "Maybe For You It Is Today", "The Gates", "The Day Is Blue", "Defending American Interests", "For the Life of Me", "That Moment" (by Chad Anderson), and "The Second Pass" (with Emil Brikha).
Taylor Mali is a former teacher and classically trained actor who now makes his living as a professional poet. One of the original poets to appear on the HBO series Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry, he is a veteran of the poetry slam and the author of What Learning Leaves and several spoken word CDs and DVDs. He lives and writes in New York City. For more information, visit www.taylormali.com"